Posted on 02/15/2017 11:45:27 AM PST by Kaslin
On Saturday, Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders called for nationwide protests to stop Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act.
The trigger event was Friday's confirmation of Dr. Tom Price as President Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services. Price is charged with making good on Trump's promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.
Already, protests against repeal are disrupting town halls and making headlines. But the nation won't be fooled by demonstrators carrying signs to save the ACA. The silent majority -- mostly working people -- have been clobbered by the health law. They won't be taking to the streets. They made their views known on Election Day.
Schumer and Sanders talk nonstop about the 20 million covered by the ACA (who will likely be covered by a GOP replacement law as well). Democrats ignore the 156 million people with on-the-job coverage who are paying higher deductibles and taking home less pay because of Obamacare. That's half the nation.
Not to mention the millions who had their employer-provided coverage canceled, had their hours cut or lost their job altogether.
What should Price and GOP lawmakers focus on? The public wants lower out-of-pocket costs, according to the latest Kaiser Health poll. Obamacare has pushed up deductibles for people with on-the-job coverage by at least 50 percent.
The law forces all but the smallest employers to provide a benefit package far costlier than most coverage was before Obamacare. It also hits employers with new taxes. Employers are passing these costs onto workers, raising their out-of-pocket costs.
In New York, 49 percent of manufacturers are increasing their workers' deductibles because of Obamacare, reports the New York Federal Reserve.
GOP lawmakers aiming to "replace" Obamacare must not repeat the mistake of imposing a Washington-designed benefit package on employers. More flexibility for employers means more workers covered at a lower cost. Mandates end up taking money out of workers' pockets.
Worries about the "Cadillac Tax" are also pushing up out-of-pocket costs. The GOP must repeal this tax. Across the U.S., union workers are getting a raw deal in their new contracts because this 40 percent "Cadillac Tax" on generous health plans is supposed to take effect in 2020. Contracts being negotiated now are imposing higher copays and deductibles to make health plans less generous and dodge the tax.
President Obama wanted to penalize "fancy plans that end up driving up costs." But not just fancy people have these plans. The GOP should avoid this approach like the kiss of death.
Republicans need to emphasize that repeal is a jobs program. Obamacare has made looking for a job harder. In New York, service and manufacturing enterprises are cutting back on hires because of the ACA, according to the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Without repeal, the ACA will cost the nation 2 million full-time jobs by 2025, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Before Congress passed Obamacare, the CBO warned it would reduce the workforce. Democrats ignored the warning.
As many as 1 million low-wage workers in low-margin industries -- retail, hotel and food services -- have had their hours cut because their employers needed to skirt the Obamacare mandate. Repeal will allow these industries to get back in the hiring business.
The evidence is overwhelming: Good riddance to the ACA's employer mandate. Only Washington could design a mandate that results in a projected 8 million fewer people having on the job coverage by 2018.
If done right, repeal will help forge a new Republican coalition with labor. The Democratic Party has stopped listening.
One caveat for GOP lawmakers. House Republicans want to cap the tax exemption on employer-provided health plans. That means workers with generous plans will get hit with a new tax -- the Cadillac Tax-lite. It's not on Trump's agenda. He promised tax cuts, not hikes.
Worse, the cap would betray union workers who just gave President Trump his remarkable victory.
Is he calling for riots?
I HATE that you’re faster and smart than me!!
If someone gets hurt, will schmucker and INSANEders be held accountable?
The hordes of IRS agents hired to go after those not paying the penalty can be re-trained to go after the lefties threatening to not pay their taxes because Trump is such a meanie.
Here is the latest revised draft of my health coverage proposal:
http://www.freerepublic.com/~briangriffin/
Yes, it has lots of rules - to prevent the federal government and patients from being cheated.
Yes, it has subsidies - because people will die without them and we would then lose the White House to Hillary in 2020.
I just paid $3050 cash for a hernia operation, less than half what an insurance company would have paid (coulda been $12,000). I refuse to join Obamacare, and am pretty much self insured. Just waiting for Repubs to allow me to get high deductible, cheap, no pregnancy catastrophic insurance.
Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders called for nationwide protests to stop Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act
I agree, I think it will be the biggest mistake the Republicans could make. Yes I LOST my Health Insurance because of Obamacare. but I would Rather see the Demonrats Repeal Obamacare. That my friends, could be done overnight.
Executive Order
1.
All Waivers,exemptions,.. to the Affordable Care Act are Repealed.
2. There shall be No Funds drawn from the Treasury to pay for any Health Insurance. All Federal Employees Shall purchase their own personal and family health insurance from the Affordable Care Exchange in the State they legally reside.
Watch how fast the DEMONRATS repeal Obamacare when they and their beloved Government Union Members are forced to PAY FOR IT! Watch for the Judiciary to have a change of heart when they are Forced to PAY for it,....
“My only problem is President Trump not repealing it already. Trump promised he would make it day one after sworn in.”
What can you say to someone who believed this was possible?
Get serious, NOTHING occurs instantaneously in Washington.
No, he won’t be held accountable. Trump will (by the press, I mean). Also, Schumer got spooked when the rioters showed up at his house. I loathe him.
Why, now, has that part of the discussion been overlooked?
The so-called ACA has had great negative impact on the economy, and it is not working for the benefit of citizens in relationship to their health care, nor health care cost reduction.
Is anyone surprised?
Good for you. Friend sent me an article from Reason.com entitled “What Happens When Doctors Only Take Cash”: Everybody, Especially Patients, wins.
Great read which totally supports your actual experience.
But isn’t every government program a jobs program first and foremost? And the biggest one of all is the US Post Office.
“Good for you. Friend sent me an article from Reason.com entitled “What Happens When Doctors Only Take Cash”: Everybody, Especially Patients, wins.”
There are ads running for “Christian-based” Insurance Cooperatives where a group self-insures.
Look up Oklahoma Surgery Center, or the one I went to, St. George Surgery Center. You can see their prices, no add-ons.
Pay the low fee, wham, bam, surgery done. Very nice and experienced people. Couldn’t be more pleased.
My grandson goes to school at Oklahoma State so know about the center in Oklahoma. He also has LibertyShare health coverage which (I believe) is Mennonite based. Amazing what happens when prices are published and you take insurance and the number of staff people you have to have manage it out of the mix.
Our family will use the Oklahoma Surgery Center if we ever need to have surgery. A gazillion places we could go to in Houston but the cost is too high.
Every state should have a center like Oklahoma or Utah.
I wish there was a loathe meter so we could compete. :)
When did they show up at his door/ why?
They showed up after the election (sorry, I can’t give you a date) in order to tell him to ruin Trump. Up until then he had said he would work with him. After they gathered at his house, he backed off all his fake promises. He’s a very bad man - I knew it when I voted for D’Amato that last time.
I just went on a rant on yet ANOTHER thread about schumer
I hate that #####
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